Crowder's big game leads Marquette past UConn

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Hartford, CT (Sports Network) - Jae Crowder tied a career high with 29 points
and Darius Johnson-Odom added 24, leading 12th-ranked Marquette to a 79-64
victory over Connecticut at the XL Center.

Crowder also grabbed 12 rebounds for the Eagles (22-5, 11-3 Big East), who
have won three straight and 10 of their last 11 games. Marquette was deadly
from three-point range on Saturday, finishing 10-of-22, as both Crowder and
Johnson-Odom each hit four from beyond the arc.

Connecticut (16-10, 6-8) was coming off an 80-54 win over bottom-feeding
DePaul on Wednesday, but has now lost seven of its last nine games. Jeremy
Lamb led the Huskies with 19 points.

The Huskies were again without head coach Jim Calhoun, as he continues to
battle a back issue. Connecticut is just 2-3 in his absence and he is expected
to miss at least Monday's game against Villanova.

UConn trailed by 16 late in the first half and by 14 at the intermission, but
quickly trimmed that deficit to 48-44 just 4 1/2 minutes into the second half.
After Alex Oriakhi's dunk created the four-point margin, Connecticut freshman
Ryan Boatright was whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct technical foul for
trash talking.

The Eagles took full advantage, as Johnson-Odom drained both free throws and
Crowder followed with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession.

"He [Boatright] didn't do it on purpose," UConn's Shabazz Napier said about
Boatright's trash talking. "They were going at it the whole game. I always
tell my guys, they never see the first one. They always see the second one."

Connecticut pulled within five soon after, but Crowder again hit from beyond
the arc and the Huskies were never closer than seven from there.

"I thought the technical really changed the game," noted UConn acting coach
George Blaney. "And we didn't recover from that very well."

Lamb's three-pointer had UConn within 70-62 with just under five minutes
remaining, but Marquette followed with nine straight points to put it away.
Johnson-Odom scored the last four to give the Eagles a comfortable 79-62
advantage.

"I thought Jae made some incredible, big threes in the second half, and I
thought Darius was in an unbelievable groove, in the first half, from three,"
said Marquette head coach Buzz Williams.

Three-point shooting was clearly the difference, especially in the first half.

Johnson-Odom and Crowder combined for 29 Marquette points in the first half to
match UConn's total. The Eagles and Huskies each made 13 field goals during
the opening 20 minutes, but Marquette connected on seven of its 13 three-point
attempts and Connecticut went 0-for-2 from beyond the arc.

The first shot of the game for Marquette was an indication of things to come,
as Johnson-Odom buried a three. The Eagles never trailed, but a transition
layup by Tyler Olander had UConn down only 20-18 with just over nine minutes
left in the first half.

Todd Mayo followed with a three-pointer to ignite an 18-6 Marquette run.
Crowder scored seven to fuel the burst and Johnson-Odom canned a pair from
long range, the second giving the Eagles a 38-24 cushion just 2 1/2 minutes
before the break.

Another three from Johnson-Odom in the final minute made it a 16-point margin
before Roscoe Smith's jumper sent Connecticut into the locker room down 43-29.

Game Notes

Crowder previously scored 29 points in a January 1, 2011 game against West
Virginia...Mayo finished with 10 points for Marquette...Boatright and Oriakhi
each scored 10 points for UConn, while Napier contributed 11 with eight
assists...Marquette improved to 5-3 all-time against Connecticut...The Eagles
will next host Rutgers on Wednesday.